Letters: Made in the PRC

A few days ago, while shopping at Ikea, something caught my eye. Affixed to the underside of some common plastic product was a sticker that read "Made in the People's Republic of China." I don't recall having seen such a label before. Might it represent China's next move drawn from the "united front" strategy?

What would happen if China began pumping out products labeled this way instead of with the more common, "Made in China?" Would consumers in other countries begin to notice that Taiwan's official name was contained within the official name for China? Quite possibly not. Would it have an effect on the desire of Taiwanese to ever again apply for UN membership as the Republic of China (ROC)?

I don't think there is any going back.

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) seems to have gotten away with another political plum, and Taiwan stands to gain even more international publicity over it. Furthermore, if Taiwan continues to apply for membership using the name Taiwan, non-admittance is virtually guaranteed until the country finally drops the anachronistic ROC title.